I only recently realised that I have been taken over by so many medical blog posts recently and have unfortunately ignored one of my main loves – skincare. So here it is my fellow skincare addicts! It’s been a couple of months since the last skincare blog post and I have had the chance to review a couple of new products and completely re-do my morning and night skincare routine. There have also been a couple of products that have been a bit dodgy as well – so all that will be explained below including the next products on my must have list!

• Tatcha rice enzyme cleanser (classic) – oh my god. this. is. everything! Seriously had to think twice before buying it though because it is super expensive, but hands down this is worth every rupee! The packaging is very nice (like opening a present) and it is a grainy powder that comes in a jar. The only downside to this product would be that it is a little difficult to get the exact amount of product you want out of the jar because of the way the opening is. You only need a half a teaspoon of the product on your palm which you then add a few drops of water to and lather it in your hands. The little grains quickly dissolve and form a smooth texture with the water which you then apply directly on your face. The instructions require you to leave it on for atleast 15 seconds which is quite easy. I use the product daily and have definitely seen a lot of change with my uneven skin tone. I feel like I can try the deep version of the cleanser next (recommended for normal to oily skin) as I have combination skin, but I will definitely have to save up for that! Rating 9/10 (only downside is the container opening)

• Fresh soy cleanser – so I was on the look out for a new cleanser and had heard many reviews on this cleanser. The actual tube is 150 ml, but it was quite expensive and so I decided to test out the 50 ml version first. Good thing I did because I wasn’t very amazed by it. It is a clear thick liquid of which a pea size is enough to create the foam. My face does feel clean and smooth after using it, but nothing spectacular to be honest. I like feeling like my skin has been scrubbed shiny and new after using a cleanser so I probably will not re-purchase this one because there are a few other cleansers I want to try out. It isn’t a bad option though if you like cleansers that are gentle – try out the smaller size first. Rating 7/10 – bit pricey and didn’t find any amazing change.

• Pixi glow Tonic – yes! yes! yes! I had heard some insanely good things about this toner, but didn’t really believe how a toner could give such results. But you guys! This is now one of my holy grail products! This glycolic acid toner makes your face glow no joke. Please be advised though that glycolic acid is an alpha-hydroxy acid which is a chemical exfoliant and it can react badly with sunlight so always wear sunblock the next day! The Sephora website says you can use it morning and night, but living in the tropical island that is Sri Lanka, I really don’t want to take the risk of getting a bad reaction with sunlight so I only use it at night and wake up with really even skin tones and a glow (still got a bloody pimple though). It’s very affordable and give it 2 thumbs up! Rating 8/10 (I just find it really difficult to balance glycolic acids and sunlight reactions)

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  Hydrogel eye therapy patch

  Hydrogel eye patches – I never really believed eye patches worked even though I’ve seen so many celebrities wear them. They have also been super expensive so when I saw this box of 5 eye patches, which still isn’t cheap but is relatively affordable, I decided to give it a try. I wore one pair before every function that I had for my wedding and it really did calm, cool and de-puff my eye-bags. Figuring out which side goes on your skin is a little tricky, but the box has easy to follow instructions (I was just a smart-ass who can’t follow instructions). Rating 8/10 – it doesn’t cause any permanent changes, but gives some great short term relief.

• Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta daily peel pads – so I have a

  

  Dr. Dennis Gross Universal Daily Peel

  bit of a love-hate relationship with this product because even though it does reduce my hyper pigmentation and uneven skin tone, it really does react badly with sunlight. I normally never get pimples, but I realised after using it that even with using the body shop SPF, I broke out and got a painful bloody pimple. The mark is still present one month later! It says use it daily, but I would recommend starting with maybe twice a week and then progressively increase to daily use. It is also quite expensive so definitely first get the small pack which only has 5 sheets. Each pack has 2 parts, clearly labelled step 1 and step 2 so the instructions are very easy to follow. Overall this product is a bag of mixed emotions for me. Maybe use it during the rainy season when there is minimal sunlight? Rating – 5/10 (utterly confused about my feelings for this product.

So above are the products that I have tried and tested, but listed below are some products that I’m dying to try out and will hope to be reviewing in a couple of months:

• • Soap & glory Vitamin C face wash – bought and the next cleanser to be tested!

• • Tatcha cleansing oil

• • Sunday Riley good genes

• • The Ordinary Rose Hip Seed oil
• • Summer Fridays Jet lag mask

I firmly believe that your skin gets used to certain products and that after a while the products you swear by may not have the same effect they used to. This might not be the same for everyone, but it definitely has been for me and for a couple of fellow skin care addicts who I’ve spoken to. So I always have to be on the hunt for new products to try out because I know that almost every year I will have to re-do my skin care routine.

I hope this review was helpful if you were thinking of buying one of the products above. If you have any other products you want to be reviewed or if you would like some advice on any products, do let me know. Also I have to always beg friends coming from England to bring me these products so it’s not very often that I get skincare products. There are a couple of Instagram beauty product retailers in Sri Lanka who I definitely do want to try out – will let you know how that goes!